WASHINGTON - House GOP conservatives, intent on defunding ObamaCare, have blocked a funding bill written by their leaders -- raising new threats of a government shutdown Oct. 1.

The rejected plan would have included separate spending resolution and a defunding of the Affordable Care Act, forcing the Senate to vote on both, but allowing the spending plan to take effect, if, as expected, the chamber's Democratic majority rejected the defunding measure.

But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, pulled the spending bill from the House schedule this week when it appeared doubtful he had enough votes to pass it.

A sizeable number of House conservatives are insisting that the defunding resolution be included in the spending bill, leaving it up to Senate Democrats and the president whether to accept it or allow a government shutdown.

The House Republican Study Committee, headed by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, is quietly drafting a new plan that would trade a one-year delay in implementation of the Affordable Care Act for relief from some of the sequester cuts Democrats, the Obama administration and some Republicans say threaten government services, including defense.

Scalise would not address the latest proposal from the RSC, where resistance to the GOP leadership plan is the most intense.

But he said: "We can achieve victory for American families without a government shutdown, but I will not surrender in the fight to delay ObamaCare for all Americans," Scalise said. "We must use every legislative avenue available, through the Continuing Resolution (funding bill) the debt ceiling, and sequester conversations to free the country from the President's train-wreck of a healthcare law. I will continue pushing for a CR that delays ObamaCare for one year and, while we're not there yet, productive conversations towards that goal continue."

The White House rejected any deal that impacted the Affordable Care Act. On Oct. 1, online exchanges, or marketplaces, are supposed to open up, allowing people to purchase health insurance and quality for the law's subsidies for individuals earning up to $43,000 and families up to $92,000.

"We will not accept anything that delays or defunds ObamaCare," Obama Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday. "Harming the economy to refight old political battles, to refight a battle that was waged and ended when Congress passed the law, the president signed the law, (and) the Supreme Court upheld the law is not in the interest of the American middle class."

Scalise said the president has already agreed to delay ObamaCare provisions mandating coverage for businesses with more than 50 employees and ought to delay other provisions, as well, including the requirement that individuals obtain health insurance.

Rep. Bill
Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, signed onto an alternative spending bill offered by Rep. Tom Graves,
R-Ga., which would block Affordable Care Act funds for the next year while raising funding for defense and homeland security. Cassidy said
the resolution includes his amendment that would block FEMA from implementing
some flood insurance premium hikes established under a 2012 law until Oct. 1, 2014.

Without congressional approval of a spending plan, the government will run out of authority to spend money on government operations, though exceptions are allowed for some key military and other crucial functions. Congress also must extend the debt limit on Oct. 18, or the Treasury says it will default on debts and drop all but essential government operations.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Republicans are unable to govern.

"Their my-way-or-the-highway strategy continues to fail because they are deeply divided and continue to balk at the prospect of working across the aisle to achieve results," Hoyer said. "Democrats oppose continuing the irrational policy of sequester and believe Congress ought to put the well-being of our nation over partisan politics by working together to move America forward."